Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday Old Mars



Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm waiting on a couple of anthologies. Old Mars is a tribute to the pulp tales of the early 20th century, when people still thought there might be canals on Mars, and imagined decadent civilizations and ruined cities, beautiful princesses and romance beneath two moons. The John Carter books by Edgar Rice Burroughs come to mind of course. I'm a sucker for those stories, I have to say, and while they read differently to me as an adult, I still get a thrill when I think back to reading them as a teen. This should be a lot of fun. Pub date is Oct. 8th 2013.

Old Mars

From Goodreads:

RED PLANET BLUES (Introduction) by George R.R. Martin
MARTIAN BLOOD, by Allen M. Steele
THE UGLY DUCKLING, by Matthew Hughes
THE WRECK OF THE MARS ADVENTURE, by David D. Levine
SWORDS OF ZAR-TU-KAN, by S.M. Stirling
SHOALS, by Mary Rosenblum
IN THE TOMBS OF THE MARTIAN KINGS, by Mike Resnick
OUT OF SCARLIGHT, by Liz Williams
THE DEAD SEA-BOTTOM SCROLLS, by Howard Waldrop
A MAN WITHOUT HONOR, by James S.A. Corey
WRITTEN IN DUST, by Melinda Snodgrass
THE LOST CANAL, by Michael Moorcock
THE SUNSTONE, by Phyllis Eisenstein
KING OF THE CHEAP ROMANCE, by Joe R. Lansdale
MARINER, by Chris Roberson
THE QUEEN OF NIGHT’S ARIA, by Ian McDonald

An early review is here.

A companion volume of sorts, Old Venus is likewise a tribute to the pulp tales of yore. As a kid I was enthralled with the idea of a water world waiting to be explored under the clouds of Venus. It didn't turn out that way, of course, but hey we can always dream, right? This one's a little farther out, in 2014, and I don't see a cover anywhere yet, but here is some info.

From Martin's website:

OLD VENUS DELIVERED

July 29, 2013
The last revision on OLD VENUS has been completed, and will be delivered later today July 29th 2013.  The latest original anthology done by Gardner Dozois and George RR Martin, OLD VENUS is comprised of sixteen stories all set on the old watery pulp retro Venus of the sixties, with its swamps, dinosaurs, and web-footed Venusians.
The final lineup for this one will look like this:
INTRODUCTION, by Gardner Dozois
FROGHEADS, by Allen M. Steele
THE DROWNED CELESTRIAL, by Lavie Tidhar
PLANET OF FEAR, by Paul McAuley
GREEVES AND THE EVENING STAR, by Matthew Hughes
A PLANET CALLED DESIRE, by Gwyneth Jones
LIVING HELL, by Joe Haldeman
BONES OF AIR, BONES OF STONE, by Stephen Leigh
RUINS, by Eleanor Arnason
THE TUMBLEDOWNS OF CLEOPATRA ABYSEE, by David Brin
BY FROGSLED AND LIZARDBACK TO OUTCAST VENUSIAN LEPERS, by Garth Nix
THE SUNSET OF TIME, by Michael Cassutt
PALE BLUE MEMORIES, by Tobias S. Buckell
THE HEART’S FILTHY LESSON, by Elizabeth Bear
THE WIZARD OF THE TREES, by Joe R. Lansdale
THE GODSTONE OF VENUS, by Mike Resnick
BOTANICA VENERIS: THIRTEEN PAPERCUTS BY IDA COUNTESS RATHANGAN, by Ian McDonald

Look for OLD VENUS in 2014, about a year after the official release of OLD MARS.

8 comments:

  1. I haven't heard of this book or author! I'm sorry that I can't have a better comment to post. But, I hope you read and enjoy this book soon! :)

    Thanks for visiting my blog!

    Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

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    1. Thanks Alyssa, that's OK I appreciate your stopping by. Have a great day!

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  2. Very interesting WoW pick! Some of the older martian stories were interesting in their portrayal of what one would find on Mars! Very imaginative!

    Here's my WoW Post!

    Wendy @ Escape Into Fiction

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    1. Yes a little different from what I've been reading lately, LOL! Every once in a while I get a hankering for old school sci fi, and when I saw this I was like yeah. I sometimes miss the pure imagination, the zest of those old stories. Even if they have not all aged well. :)

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  3. I'm always excited when I see new stuff by GRRM, but then I remember I'm waiting impatiently for the next book in the ASOIAF series and I get a bit cranky (he should totally get to write what he wants though, so then I feel guilty haha). Nice picks :)

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    1. I know the feeling! The wait for the next book is awful, I'm going to forget everything if he doesn't hurry up! :)

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  4. This looks good, and I love these type of collections for quick late night reads between full novels, because if I start a full length novel at 10pm and it's really good..I end up one more chapter-ing it till 2 in the morning..LOL

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    1. I know the feeling! A good short story sometimes does the trick... Thanks for stopping Kimba!

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